The RSPCA has warned people over the risks of buying a dog from a puppy farm, as research suggests 35 per cent of people in the Bristol area consider it a good way to get a pet.

A shocking number of people support puppy farms, despite an estimated one in four puppies sold in the UK being farmed in appalling conditions.

The research from Gocompare.com Pet Insurance found that 5 per cent of people across the country think puppy farms are a good way to get a responsibly-bred animal.

'Awful conditions'

Senior scientific officer at the RSPCA Lisa Richards said: “The awful conditions that puppies from unscrupulous breeders and dealers experience, can lead to both serious health conditions and long-term behavioural problems.

“So the puppy you thought would make a great family pet could go on to be seriously ill or afraid of new experiences, people or other animals, and go could on to behave aggressively later in life.”

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Puppy farms are defined as places that intensively breed puppies, often in cruel conditions.

Often puppy farm breeders show little or no regard for the health of the puppies or their parents, according to dog welfare charity the Kennel Club.

In March, Go Compare surveyed 2,000 people about their views on puppy farms, and found that 5 per cent of people thought they were a good way to buy a dog responsibly.

Only one in three people thought it was important to see the mother of the puppy they were buying and less than half thought it was important to see where the puppy had been living.

'Research a shock to many'

Pet insurance expert Amanda Bathory said: “This research may come as a shock to many, with no-one wanting to fund such a cruel industry. But what the research also highlights is a knowledge gap when purchasing a puppy.

“Puppy farms and dealers run a sophisticated operation, often hiding behind a digital veil of tried and tested methods to lure prospective buyers in to the puppy farm trap.”